Love, Tears, Death, and Vengeance
by blakwolf08
Summary: Lilo is gone. Stitch is trying to cope with loss. A new and unexpected foe appears.


**Love, Tears, Death, and Vengeance**

By Jeremy L. Carter

An alarm blares in my ears. My eyes shoot open and I reach for the blaster I keep under my pillow. I point my weapon aimlessly around the room, my sight still impaired from sleep. It's just the clock. I stash the blaster back under my pillow and slam a fist into the clock while my other hands rub the sleep from my eyes. I sit in my bunk and look around, my vision now clear. The spherical room in which I sit is empty. I hop down from my bunk, which protrudes from the wall. My feet meet with the planks, making a light hollow sound. Looking around the room, it looks as though nothing has changed. Of course, this is not true. Everything has changed.

It had started as just another normal day in the Pelekai house. Lilo and I were planning a party for Pleakley. It was a celebration of the day of his birth. Lilo was a beautiful young woman. About seventeen at this time. She had long dark hair that ran all the way down her back. Her eyes were the color of cocoa. When we met, we were about the same height, but now she had a good foot and a half on me, maybe two. "Looks like that's everything. What do you think, Stitch?" Lilo asked looking over the list of supplies we'd been working on. I took it and examined it. "Ih" I replied, smiling and handing the paper back to her. Now we were off to town. We went straight to the store. We raced through the store, down all the isles. Once we were satisfied with what we had gathered, we headed to the checkout. Mr. Ku'aki was manning the store today. He rang up our items. "$57.29 is your total. You having a party, Lilo?" he asked. "Mmhm," Lilo said, reaching into her bag. "It's for my aunt's birthday" She pulls her hand out of the bag and presses it to her forehead. "Oh no, I forgot to get the money from Nani." She shakes her head from side to side in her palm. "Wait here" I say, running out the door on all fours. I hurry as fast as I can down the road that runs through and out of town, taking a left on the little dirt road that leads to our house. Once I get to the house, I hurry up the stairs and into the house. "Nani" I call out. There's no response. I go into the kitchen. "Nani?" I put my hand to my head. _Where could she be?_ I stand and think for a moment. Suddenly she comes up behind me, "What is it, Stitch?" she says. I nearly jump out of skin when she speaks. _That must be where Lilo get's her ninja skills._ "Need money" I say, "about sixty bucks." Nani looks at me expectantly. "Is that how you ask for something?" says Nani. "Please?" I implore her, pushing my mouth into a wide smile. "That's better" she says leaving the room. She comes back in with her purse. "What do you need it for anyway?" Nani asks, looking back to me. "Party" I answer "For Pleakley" She stops for a moment. Then, she says "Oh, that's right, Pleakley's bir-" I cover her mouth, "Shh... nagga... surprise" I pull my hands away. "Okay," she says, handing me the money. "here you go."

The money in hand I head out the door. I get outside just in time to hear it. _BOOM!_ A shock wave that seemed to shake the entire island erupted. I look around for the source of the disturbance and find nothing. Then, I look up and see smoke rising from about the center of town. My eyes widen. That's about where Mr. Ku'aki's store is. _Lilo!_ I don't even think about moving. I just take off, full speed, toward the smoke rising into the sky. I don't even take the road. I run through the trees and thick vegetation towards the town. Now, I've reached the edge and burst from the woods. I run between a few buildings and arrive. What I saw before me could not be accurately described. Where Mr. Ku'aki's store once stood, A smoldering pile of rubble now took it's place. "LILO!" I cried out as I ran toward the burning wreckage "LILO!" I climb up and begin to excavate, removing chunk after chunk of the buildings remains. I must have dug for two or three hours. At some point the fire department showed up and put out the fires. Police tried to remove me from the scene, but I refused and the left. I had to find her. "LILO?!" I shout, desperation overcoming my voice. Right then, I heard it. "Stitch" a voice said. It was faint and barely audible, but it was definitely Lilo's voice. "LILO!" I scream again, "I'm coming, Lilo" I run to the place where her voice sounded. I can't see her. Then, I place my ear to the ground. I can hear the faint sounds of strained breathing and the voice comes again "Stitch, help...me." I begin to dig, deeper and deeper. Eventually, I reach her. She is pinned under some of the rubble. I lift it away from her. Lilo's clothing is torn, blood is splattered on her face and covers most of her abdomen and torso. I take her into my arms and haul her up to the surface, then carry her away from the wreckage of the former store. By this time, everyone had gone. I lay Lilo onto the ground. I didn't want to move her too much. I didn't know what to do. I should go call someone. I turn to go find a phone. "Stitch, don't leave me" Lilo said, her voice hoarse and barely recognizable. I notice that her bag still clutched under her arm and take it, praying that what I was seeking still remained. After a few seconds, I found her cell phone. I flipped it open. The screen had a small crack in it, but other than that, it was fully functional. I dialed 9-1-1.

"9-1-1 What's the emergency?" Came the voice on the other end.

"Lilo... Injured... Please, help." I say, panic building inside me.

"What is your location?" Asked the operator.

"Ku'aki's store" I responded

"Okay, we're sending an ambulance right away, stay put." She said.

"Okay, please hurry"

I hang up and turn my focus back to Lilo. She looks up into my eyes. Tears are streaming down both of our cheeks. We don't say anything for several seconds. We just stare into each others eyes, unsure of what we would say if we spoke.

"Stitch" Lilo says, finally breaking the silence.

"Lilo...?"

"I'm scared, Stitch" She says, her voice becoming weaker.

"It's ok, Lilo. They're coming. You're going to be okay."

She reaches up and places her hand on my cheek.

"I love you, Stitch."

My eyes burn with tears. I place my hand on the one she placed on my cheek. "I love you too, Lilo"

Her eyes close. Her hand goes limp and drops to her blood-soaked stomach. "Lilo? LILO?! LILO, WAKE UP!" I exclaim, desperately trying to call her back to me. It's too late. I crumble to the ground, tears filling my eyes to the point that I can't see. I lean over and embrace her tightly. _This can't be real. This can't be happening. _My cries echo off of the surrounding buildings as I rock back and forth still holding Lilo tightly in my arms. _Why? _I don't even notice when the ambulance arrives. They try to pull me away from Lilo, but I hold firmly to her body. More medics come, trying to separate us. I resist as much as I can muster, but I'm weak now. Lilo and I are separated. I black out.


End file.
